Journaling is all the rage nowadays. And for all the good reasons. It has been effective in helping people deal with their emotions and gain fresh perspectives.
So you were finally convinced by your best friend to give in to the idea. You bought yourself a brand-new pen and a cute journal.
Now, you sit down to write something …
Fifteen minutes have passed, and you feel no earth-shattering inspiration. While you were hoping for some profound thoughts to churn out from the session, your mind is blank.
You don’t feel the supreme sense of gratitude and calmness you were supposed to put.
You try many times but fail to put anything down on paper. This is because, deep down, you know you hate writing. You would do anything rather than put a pen down on paper (or fingers on a keyboard).
Does this sound like you?
Are you someone who’s constantly searching for the best journaling alternatives online to reap similar benefits but not through the draining process of writing?
Well, you are not alone. Old-school journaling practices are not for everyone. Especially for the Gen-Z generation, where most people have forgotten what using a physical pen feels like.
But don’t worry! We have got you covered. In this post, we will dive into the best journaling alternatives for people who hate writing. Let’s get started.
The Best Journaling Alternatives To Start Right Now
1. Create voice or video notes.
Journaling is all about capturing your thoughts and ideas. Giving them a tangible form makes it easier for you to deal with them. Therefore, one of the best journaling alternatives is to create voice or video notes of yourself.
Recording yourself (or your sound) gives you a space to think out loud. It helps you make sense of what you are feeling and gain a fresh perspective.
The idea is pretty simple: record yourself while talking about anything that’s on your mind. You don’t need any specialized equipment or applications. Just use your phone’s camera or voice recorder to get started. This way, you get a raw, unfiltered version of yourself that’ll help you understand your feelings.
Read more: 5 Most Effective Expressive Art Therapy Activities
2. Doodle.
We get it — not everyone has a great relationship with words. So, if you can’t find the right words to express your feelings, get a notebook without lines and doodle your thoughts daily.
Don’t bound yourself by designs. Feel free to draw whatever you want. You can doddle about something that happened, your thoughts or dreams, things that are troubling you, and much more. Don’t worry about being good or perfect.
The idea is to get your thoughts on paper. So don’t worry about messing up; try to experiment as much as possible.
3. Engage in painting, create a collage, etc.
One of the best journaling alternatives is art therapy. Art gives you the perfect canvas to understand how you are feeling. It offers unrestricted opportunities to express how you feel. Therefore, if you don’t really vibe with journaling, try creating art instead.
Now, you don’t need to Picasso and paint the most memorable artwork of the century. All you need to do is to bring your emotions out through art. So, you can paint something, create a collage, assemble a scrapbook, and much more.
As per research by Girija Kaimal and team, art has been successfully found to reduce stress levels among people and leave them feeling relaxed. Therefore, if you hate journaling but want to reap the same benefits, creating art is one of the best journaling alternatives for you.
Read more: Top Art Therapy Activities For Stress Management
Conclusion:
Journaling is great. It’s proven to be highly effective in emotional regulation and stress reduction. But for someone who hates writing, journaling can feel like an added stress to their lives.
This is why we have compiled a list of the best journaling alternatives for you to get started. It’s important to understand that whatever practice suits you best will come easy. If it requires too much effort or stresses you out, it’s not your thing. The best way to find out what’s meant for you is to keep experimenting.
There are a plethora of hobbies that are excellent for your mental health. To learn more about them, click here.
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